Job 40-42 & Psalm 124

Psalm 124:1-8, 1 If the Lord had not been on our side- let Israel say- 2 If the Lord had not been on our side when men attacked us, 3 then they would have swallowed us alive in their burning anger against us. 4 Then the waters would have engulfed us; the torrent would have swept over us; 5 the raging waters would have swept over us. 6 Praise the Lord, who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth. 7 We have escaped like a bird from the hunter’s net; the net is torn, and we have escaped. 8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Christian Standard Version)

Has this been your story this year? It may not be people, but could be circumstances. Has God protected you? If you belong to Him you know He has, even if it doesn’t look that way from a human perspective. At the end of the day we can say that God is good all the time and we can also say that all the time God is good.

We have a family coffee roasting business and there have been times — for no apparent reason — that our roasters have not worked all three of them. It has been frustrating and we have lost time and gotten behind in orders, but still at the end of the day we have had to say God is good. He has our best interests at heart.

None of us know what 2020 holds, but God does. The best place to be is in the protection and purpose of the Maker of the universe.

Father God we pray for your grace and goodness to shower on us today. We may not recognize it as such, but show us Yourself in all things and circumstances. In Jesus’ loving and powerful Name we pray, Amen!

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2 Kings 2-3; Psalm 48; Matthew 4

The view outside of my front window is of one large shade garden. There are several gardens in our yard, and most of them now are dominated by weeds. Last year, losses and crises took my attention from home to urgent issues. And this year, I’ve had to examine areas of my life and focus small first to nurture things that have been neglected–the garden is certainly symbolic of that.

This morning, I head out to the big garden with gloves and clippers to try to take back what two growing seasons have taken over. I read in 2 Kings 3 of armies in the wilderness: “⁹ The king of Edom and his troops joined them, and all three armies traveled along a roundabout route through the wilderness for seven days. But there was no water for the men or their animals (2 Kings 3:9, NLT).”

They called on Elisha who explained, “This is what the Lord says: This dry valley will be filled with pools of water! ¹⁷ You will see neither wind nor rain, says the Lord, but this valley will be filled with water. You will have plenty for yourselves and your cattle and other animals. ¹⁸ But this is only a simple thing for the Lord, for he will make you victorious over the army of Moab! ¹⁹ You will conquer the best of their towns, even the fortified ones. You will cut down all their good trees, stop up all their springs, and ruin all their good land with stones.”

²⁰ The next day at about the time when the morning sacrifice was offered, water suddenly appeared! It was flowing from the direction of Edom, and soon there was water everywhere (2 Kings 3:16-20, NLT).

In Matthew, Jesus is tempted by Satan–to satisfy himself, to prove himself, to exalt himself. Jesus responds to each offer with scripture. I think on this now, because whether it’s temptation (to take things into my own hands, to prove myself, to be in charge) or accusation, an enemy’s motives always reveal an intention to kill, steal, or destroy. It could be the unseen things like peace or faith, or it could be very visible–relationships, possessions, jobs … even gardens.

Dawn breaks. I won’t get to all the garden spaces today, but I ready myself to tackle both the unseen and the visible. I think long on scriptures I know that tell of who God is, and remind me of who I am because of Him, in Him.

¹³ Take note of the fortified walls,
    and tour all the citadels,
that you may describe them
    to future generations.
¹⁴ For that is what God is like.
    He is our God forever and ever,
    and he will guide us until we die. (Psalm 48:13-14, NLT)

Lord, an enemy is bent on stealing and destroying–and already so much is wounded or broken by lies, grief, evil. When I look at the destruction, I linger in the loss and am weak. Lord, I look to you, to what you can do, to the valley you will fill with water.

Courtney (66books365)

1 Samuel 20; 1 Chronicles 4; Psalm 56, 57, 142; Acts 14

⁹ There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez^[d] because his birth had been so painful. ¹⁰ He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request. (1 Chron 4:9-10 NLT)

Tucked away in the middle of a chronicle of names of the lineage of Judah is a little paragraph that has come to be known as the “Prayer of Jabez.” Jabez had a lot to overcome in his life. Jabez means “pain” in Hebrew and it makes me wonder why a mother would name her child that way. Imagine growing up and every time anyone called your name they reminded you of this fact. Talk about growing up in shame! Notice that this story does not dwell on that, though. His prayer to God is more of a focus than the pain.

There is a quote by Brene Brown that really spoke to me of this process: “Loving ourselves through the process of owning our story is the bravest thing we’ll ever do.” Jabez could not help what his mother named him. I can imagine the other boys taunting him, calling him names. Maybe there were times he caught his mother looking at him in a certain way and feeling her remembering what she went through bringing him into this world. I can relate to this story because it could be the story of my life as well. So many of us have had hurtful things done to us that caused us to make bad choices. Shame is an insidious emotion. It hides and masks itself as so many other things. I can look back at my life and see that the root of so much brokenness comes from shame experienced at an early age.

What I love about these few verses is that Jabez was determined not to let his name define his life. He asked God to bless him and give him a larger arena to spread the goodness of the God he loved. He asked God to be with him, to guide him away from hurting himself and others. I believe he didn’t want to cause anyone else the pain he suffered! His focus was on God. “And God granted him his request.” Because of that, people don’t remember his pain–they remember his God!

God loves me so much! There are times I do not remember that. Instead of focusing on all the good He has done in my life, I can get caught up remembering all the pain from a long time ago. In all honesty, though, that pain is how He enlarged my territory. His love, faithfulness, patience, and teaching have given me a testimony to share with others. I have amazing stories of God working in my life, revealing His truth to me, and putting together the broken pieces of my life to reflect His beauty. The trouble and pain I suffered caused me to seek Him. I would not have the relationship I have with Him today if it were not for all that happened in my past. Like Jabez, I too have prayed a payer to the Lord. My prayer was to heal my brokenness, break the strongholds in my life, and use me to speak hope and God’s healing power into other people’s lives. “And God granted (her) request.”

9 I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.
    I will sing your praises among the nations.
10 For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens.
    Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. (Psalm 57:9-10 NLT)

Father, I pray that people will look at me and see my God, my Father who calls me “dearly loved.” You have loved me back from the depths of despair. At times, your saving grace will overwhelm me and I can do nothing but cry tears of gratitude and joy. I, too, will sing your praises for all to hear. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

Cindy (gardnlady)

2Chronicles 26; Revelation 13; Zechariah 9; John 12

⁹ Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.¹⁰ I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations.  His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River^[b] to the ends of the earth. (Zech 9:9-10 NIV)

 

¹² The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. ¹³ They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!^[d]”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”^[e]

“Blessed is the king of Israel!”

¹⁴ Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

¹⁵ “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”^[f]

¹⁶ At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. (John 12:12-16 NIV)

These verses speak to me of the faithfulness of God and the trustworthiness of his word. It may not be in my timetable, but you can trust it will happen. There were about 500 years between the time Zechariah prophesied of the coming Messiah, even to him riding on a donkey, and the actual event.  No one expected the Messiah to come as he did, even though his birth was prophesized in Isaiah.  We are told Jesus stood up in the synagogue and read a portion of Isaiah 61 and tells them the prophesy about himself was fulfilled that very day (Luke 4:17-21) and then sits down.  He told them who he was and they missed it. When Jesus rode into town on the colt of a donkey, no one even connected the two events until after Jesus’ resurrection.  Jesus reveals himself to me through his word and I can miss him as well.  As an analytical person, I sometimes need to sift through data in my head before the light bulb goes off.  The Holy Spirit is so patient with me.

Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. ² A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate^[a] with him. ³ Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar^[b] of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. (John 12:1-3 NLT)

This dinner happened after Lazarus had been resurrected. I can picture it being a celebratory dinner of life when just days before there seemed no hope they would ever be together as a family again.  Yet here they were.  Mary was so overcome with love and gratitude for Jesus she poured her prize possession on him.  There was nothing in this world that meant more to her than he did.  She wiped the oil with her own hair.  In those days, women kept their hair wrapped around their head, they did not wear it loose.  Yet she exposed herself, leaving herself open to ridicule, in open abandonment to his presence.  In my mind that is true worship.

 

Lord Jesus, I don’t know if I have ever felt that overwhelmed by you that nothing of this world matters more than you—but I want to. You came to set the captive free and I long for that freedom, that abandonment to worship you with everything I am.  Thank you for stepping out of heaven to come to earth as a lowly infant and show us the way to true life.  O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.  Amen

Cindy (gardnlady)

1 Samuel 20, Psalm 36, Lamentations 5, 1 Corinthians 2

Bad things happen to good people. Bad things happen to believers in Christ who pursue a relationship with him. No one is immune to sin’s far reaching touch and trials and suffering will continue until Jesus returns. As I began to mature in my faith, this realization struck me as a surprise. I felt like suffering was for those people who were not obedient or didn’t have a relationship with the Lord. I relied very much on my own efforts to be obedient and check off all the boxes to be a “good girl” but my formula for avoiding suffering didn’t work and neither does it for anyone else.

David must have wondered, “Why me, Lord? I thought I was anointed King. Why is Saul pursuing my death?”

Jeremiah must have wondered, “Why us, Lord? I thought we were your chosen people. Why is the temple destroyed?”

You can fill in the blanks with your own situation, trial or period of suffering. I praise the Lord for his true word that provides me with reminders of his faithfulness to his people throughout all generations. One of the most difficult things about trials is that I often don’t understand why or see the good. When this happens, I must remember the truth of God’s word and his promises. I must remember that he works all things together for good (not necessary my personal good). Obedience plus faith is not the formula to avoid trials but does help us through the hard times.

God’s true word gives us knowledge and wisdom to deal with our day in and day out struggles. When we turn to the Lord, walk daily in the Spirit and trust in him, he reveals to us the things we need to know at the time we need it.

Speak to us, Lord…..

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”- these things he has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

When we seek God’es true word, we remember his enduring love…….

“Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O Lord.” Psalm 36: 5-6

Dear Father, thank you for your word that brings truth to our souls. Holy Spirit, speak to us in our times of trial, when it’s hard to see the good or understand your ways. Remind our hearts that your love is never ending. Amen.

 

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